Harmful effects of invasive Yellow Crazy Ant Anoplolepis gracilipes on three land bird species of Minami-daito Island

Shin Matsui; Tomonori Kikuchi; Kana Akatani; Sayaka Horie; Masaoki Takagi

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Harmful effects of invasive Yellow Crazy Ant Anoplolepis gracilipes on three land bird species of Minami-daito Island

Shin Matsui, Tomonori Kikuchi, Kana Akatani, Sayaka Horie, Masaoki Takagi

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Keywords: Cavity nesting birds, Fledglings unskilled in flying, Invasive ant, Minami-daito Island, Yellow Crazy Ant

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2009 Volume 8 Issue 1 Pages 81-86

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Abstract

This report describes, for the first time, harmful effects of invasive Yellow Crazy Ants Anoplolepis gracilipes on wild birds in Japan. We observed fledglings of Bull-headed Shrike Lanius bucephalus and Daito White-eye Zosterops japonicus daitoensis caused fatal injuries by ants on the ground on Minami-daito Island. We compared reproductive behaviors of Daito Scops Owl Otus elegans interpositus in a cavity with ants and cavities without ants and found that while reproductive success did not differ between them, parental females in a cavity with ants more frequently interchanged their nest site than those in cavities without ants.

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